"What About Gaza Now?" A Brief Background of the Palestinian Conflict

by Eramis Momchilovich

     The history of Palestine is a violent one, filled with anguish and abuse. The fight began after the Second World War. Many Jewish people wanted their own country and parts of Palestine became the chosen place through the Mandate for Palestine which was voted 33-13 in favor in the UN General Assembly. Six months later, the state of Israel was formed on May 14, 1948. Armies from the surrounding Arab countries invaded shortly after because they did not recognize Israel as a country and believed it was unfair that the Palestinian Arabs should be displaced from their traditional home to make room for the Jewish people. At the end of this war, Gaza was controlled by Egypt, and the West Bank (another area) was controlled by Jordan. These places served as a refuge for thousands of Palestinians who fled the newfound Jewish country of Israel.

     Later in 1967, another war occurred and Israel occupied both Gaza and the West bank for several years. When their troops eventually left in 2005, a terrorist group called Hamas was willing to use violence to achieve its aims and took over leadership. Since then life in Gaza has become very difficult because of the isolation Israel is able to put it in. Even in such controlled conditions, Hamas still manages to frequently fire off rockets into Israel. Families in the Gaza Strip are not able to get enough meat, vegetables, or fruit as they used to. Unemployment rates are high because of the lack of money and products to sell. According to the BBC, more than 4.6 million Palestinians are refugees because of the constant violence.

     In 2008 Israel invaded Gaza and 1,300 people were killed. In 2012 an estimated 167 Palestinians and six Israelis died. In the most recent conflict in July of 2014, over 2,100 Palestinians, 64 Israeli soldiers, and six Israeli civilians were killed in only 50 days, ending with a ceasefire declared on August 26. The constant struggle between the two sides has cost so many people their lives and homes, and has driven all involved to live in fear. Hopefully this ceasefire will lead to more permanent resolutions.